Most beautiful book cover: Alice in Wonderland

March 10, 2015

Alice in Wonderland / Alice in Spiegelland is not only one of the Best Dutch Book Designs of 2014, it is also clad in the most beautiful book cover of that year. That is the result of an election held in January. llustrator Floor Rieder and designer Suzanne Nuis are responsible for the book's appearance, Gottmer, Haarlem, being the publisher.

Libris, the organisation in which some hundred independent booksellers cooperate, initiated this election. Booksellers nominated 15 covers, more than 4,000 readers went to vote.

Between 2001 and 2010 the Best Dutch Book Designs foundation organised this election in collaboration with the Dutch book trade magazine Boekblad. When this initiative was discontinued Libris took over.

Best of the best in Leipzig

March 2, 2015

Books in the field of art, photography and architecture are increasingly published in a variety of international entanglements. This year's Golden Letter, the highest prize of the Best Book Design from all over the World contest in Leipzig, Germany, was won by the book Untitled (September Magazine) by artist Paul Elliman, co-published by Roma Publications from Amsterdam.

This book hit the Leipzig jury desk as one of the most beautiful books of 2013 in Brussels and Wallonia. Two of the Best Dutch Book Designs 2014 also won prizes in Leipzig.

A silver medal was awarded to Awoiska van der Molen's photo book Sequester (published by Fw:Books, design Hans Gremmen). Besides that there was a bronze medal for New Horizons by Bruno van den Elshout, who a year long took photograps of the sea from a roof (published by The Eriskay Connection, design Rob van Hoesel).

The seven judges in Leipzig had to judge 585 books from 30 countries. The award ceremony will take place on March 13 at the Leipzig Book Fair.

The Best Dutch Book Designs 2014

February 27, 2015

Today we make public which books are The Best Dutch Book Designs of 2014.

Who chose them? That job was done by a panel consisting of Hans Bockting (graphic designer, Amsterdam), Carolien Glazenburg (curator at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam), Bregitta Kramer (print coordinator, book binder and teacher in printing techniques, Diemen), Joris Kritis (graphic designer, Brussels) and Astrid Vorstermans (publisher at Valiz, Amsterdam). Books in which one of the judges was involved were nominated for election by a shadow panel consisting of former Best Dutch Book Designs judges.

What was the scope of the choice? The choice was made out of 298 books that appeared in 2014, submitted by their publishers, commissioners, designers or companies that took care of their production.

What did the judges choose? The judges chose 33 books that according to their opinion distinguished themselves conspicuously by their editorial choices, graphic design, treatment of images and text, choice of material and technical workmanship.

The Best Dutch Book Designs 2014 is generously supported by paper suppliers Antalis, Almere, collective rights organisation BNO/Pictoright, Amsterdam and L. van Heek Textiles, Losser, among many more manufacturer of binding materials

A special selection at the Museum Gouda

February 16, 2015

From February 17 onwards the Museum Gouda will be hosting the exhibition Uitgelezen. It is an exhibition on the printing of books, on reading and on books in general, by means of four varying and compact presentations. Three of those are historical in character, the fourth being about the future of the book.

Guest curator Petra Luijkx (Museum Meermanno, The Hague) is of the opinion that the well-designed book is heading towards a bright future. She makes her statement by showing some 30 books that since the year 2000 have been elected among the Best Dutch Book Designs.

This special selection out of fourteen Best Dutch Book Designs selections was put together on her invitation by a special jury (photo: Frank Jansen, Rijswijk).

The exhibition will be running until May 17. For more information, and also some additional events, go to www.museumgouda.nl.

The Best Dutch Book Designs 2013 on show

February 15, 2015

On Friday February 27 The Best Dutch Book Designs 2014 will be disclosed. Right now The Best Dutch Book Designs 2013 are still to be seen at Museum Meermanno | Huis van het Boek, The Hague (prolongated until May 17) and at printers Lenoirschuring of Amstelveen.

Previously this selection has been on show at the following venues:

– Leipzig, Leipzig Book Fair, March 13-16, 2014– Berlin, TYPO Berlin, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, May 15-17, 2014, as the main part of The Best of Dutch Book Design

– Berlin, Dutch embassy, May 20-June 20, 2014, as the main part of The Best of Dutch Book Design (photo)– Frankfurt, Frankfurt Book Fair, October 8-12, 2014, as part of Book Art International

Registration is open until January 7, 2015

December 5, 2014

Today is the day registration for The Best Dutch Book Designs 2014 opens. Candidates for this year's selection are welcome until January 7, 2015.

Five judges, all experienced book pros, will scrutinize the books submitted and will compile this 56th selection of the year. Simultaneously their choice will be the Dutch submission to Best Book Design from all over the World, the world beauty contest for the book in Leipzig, Germany.

Later in 2015 the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam will exhibit the new selection. The Best Dutch Book Designs of 2013 are still on show there, until February 15, 2015.

No chance? Come on, there are at least 30 and at maximum 33 books that are going to be elected. The Best Dutch Book Designs: the hall of fame of the Dutch book. So hand in your entries. Do it until January 7, 2015. Do it here

Left: Bookshop, colour etching by Willy Belinfante

Go smell them at the Stedelijk

October 26, 2014

Since yesterday they are there to be seen again at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, the annual crop of Best Dutch Book Designs. The three tailormade display tables created by exhibition designers Event Architecture are to be found in one of the entrance rooms of the museum's design section. This year they are adorned with a crisp yellow tone.

The judges behind this selection are designers Marlies Visser and Hans Bockting, publisher Hanca Leppink and the print advisors Bregitta Kramer and Johan Holterman. Out of 309 entries they chose 33 books as the Best Dutch Book Designs of 2013.

Visitors of the Stedelijk Museum are supposed to stay clear from the art objects on show. The Best Dutch Book Designs are the exception. You are cordially invited to weigh them on your hand, to touch them, even to smell them.

The exhibition will be on show until February 15, 2015. (Photo: Gert Jan van Rooij)

New catalogue out

October 25, 2014

The opening of the Best Dutch Book Designs exhibition at the Amsterdam Stedelijk Museum today also saw the launch of the new catalogue The Best Dutch Book Designs 2013 De Best Verzorgde Boeken. The books presents the 33 books of this year's pick of the jury in words and images.

The book was designed by Art Collart, a graduate from the Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam who also lives and works there. He came up with the idea of adding to the book a quote by one of the makers of each and every Best Dutch Book Design. On top of that there is a kaleidoscopic picture section entitled The Making of the Best Dutch Book Designs.

The book could be realised thanks to generous support from a whole bunch of players in the Dutch printing industry, among them ten printers and four finishing specialists. The paper was made available by suppliers Antalis and Arctic Paper Benelux. L. van Heek Textiles, manufacturers of book binding materials, contributed the binding material for this handsome hardcover book.

Price of the book: € 27.50. ISBN 978 90 5965 250 7.

Back on the tracks: The Best of Dutch Book Design

April 25, 2014

After a year-long time-out The Best of Dutch Book Design, an exhibition in the form of a traveling library, will be hitting the road again. From May 20 till June 20 the Dutch Embassy in Berlin will host the exhibition. Visitors will be able to leaf through the Best Dutch Book Designs of 2013, plus an additional set of some interesting Best Dutch Book Designs of the last few years.

Towards the end of last year The New Institute in Rotterdam, which at its inception took over the exhibition from Premsela – The Netherlands Institute for Design and Fashion, decided not to carry on with The Best of Dutch Book Design. In consultation with our partners, the Association of Dutch Designers (BNO), Dutch Culture and the Dutch Foundation for Literature we decided to go on booking the show ourselves. We are grateful to The New Institute for the care they took in the meantime.

Irma Boom wins Johannes Vermeer Prize

April 15, 2014

Book designer Irma Boom won the Johannes Vermeer Prize 2014, the state prize for the arts in the Netherlands, on the strength of her "unrivaled merits in the field of graphic design".

This is the 6th time the Johannes Vermeer Prize is being awarded. Among earlier winners are photographer Erwin Olaf, painter Marlene Dumas and architect Rem Koolhaas. Former Dutch minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin was the jury's chairman.

Irma Boom studied at AKI arts academy in Enschede and started her own studio in Amsterdam in 1991. In 2001 she was awarded the Gutenberg Prize in Leipzig, where she won awards several times in the international book contest Best Book Design from all over the World. Since 1988 47 of her books have been elected for the Best Dutch Book Designs. Search for Irma Boom on this webpage and her Best Dutch Book Designs of the last 7 years will appear.

Honorary diploma for book on poet Lucebert

March 4, 2014

Ik ben een gemankeerde saxofonist (I am a failed saxophone player), the book that came out last year on the connections between Dutch poet Lucebert and jazz, won a honorary diploma at Best Book Design from all over the World, Leipzig's annual judging of books from a great many countries.

The book traces its subject by presenting Lucebert's poems and works of visual art, next to photographs, written contributions and two cd's. There is even a survey of Lucebert's jazz and blues records. The book was compiled by Ben IJpma and Ben van Melick, was designed by Piet Gerards Ontwerpers, Huis Clos being its publisher.

Founded in 1963, Best Book Design from all over the World is the annual beauty contest for the book since 1991, organised by Stiftung Buchkunst, Frankfurt/Leipzig.

This year the seven judges saw themselves confronted with Best Book selections from thirty countries. Among them were the 33 Best Dutch Book Designs, that had been selected by the Dutch jury just a few days before the judging in Leipzig.

The Best Dutch Book Designs 2013

February 21, 2014

Today is the day The Best Dutch Book Designs selection of 2013 is being unveiled.

In December 2013 and the beginning of January 2014 there were 309 books being submitted to the judges, whereas 305 a year earlier. This year's judges were: - Hans Bockting, graphic designer, Bockting Ontwerpers, Amsterdam- Johan Holterman, print advisor, Graphiques, Nijmegen- Bregitta Kramer, print coordinator, teacher in printing techniques and book binder, Diemen- Hanca Leppink, editor at large, publishers Luitingh-Sijthoff, Amsterdam- Marlies Visser, graphic designer, Studio Marlies Visser, Haarlem. Their choice is summarized in the columns at your right hand and is presented more extensively on our homepage. Later in the year The Best Dutch Book Designs will be on show at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. The Best Dutch Book Designs 2013 are generously supported by paper suppliers Antalis (Almere), collective rights organisation BNO/Pictoright (Amsterdam) andL. van Heek Textiles, manufacturers of book binding materials (Losser).